Improvement in washing-machines



H. DDOLITTLE.

Washing-Machines.

N0,]49,29 3, PatentedApril 7,1874.

ATTEST.

Mi P190! G'Z/TIMQRJPHIO Ca 4 X (mam/15's muss v of clothes.

UNITED STATES HARRISON DOOLITTLE,

PATENT OFFICE.

on vENIoE, ILLINoIs.

IMPROVEMENT IN WASHING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 149,293, dated April 7,1874; application filed September 17, 1873.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON DooLITT E, of Venice, Madison county,lllinois, have invented a certain Improvement in Washing- Machines, ofwhich the following is a specificat-ion:

My improvement relates to a washing-machine in which an oscillatingskeletoni'rame is made to press the clothes against skeleton-partitionsfixed in the receptacle on each side of the frame.

My improvement consists in a removable shield or cap surrounding theoperative lever, to prevent the water from splashing out through theslot in the lid in which the lever moves; also, the construction andarrangement of the lever by which the oscillating frame is operated. Theoscillating frame has at each end a bearing lug or gudgeon, which hasbearing in an open-topped notch or bearingin the side of the receptacle.The said lugs form an axis of oscillation for the frame, and to thisaxis the open partitions or squeezeframes are radial, so that theoscillating frame, at the ends of its oscillatory movements, comes upparallel with the said frames. The fixed squeeze-frames are set somedistance from the inclined ends (or sides) of the machine, to allow thefree escape of the water through the I frames, the water flowing upwardthrough the said space, and the inward inclination of the endsdeflecting it inward to fall upon the mass Near the top of each inclinedend is a removable dashboard, to prevent the wa ter splashing out underthe lid. The vertical lever by which the oscillating frame is operatedis provided with a treadle-lever, which is removable, and which is usedmore espe' cially when washing bulky articles.

Figure 1 is a perspective view, with parts of one of the inclined endsand the cover broken away to exhibit the inside, and the dash cap orshield beneath the central slot in the lid removed, to 'show theattachment of the lever and oscillating frame. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectionthrough the inclined ends. Fig. 3 shows, in perspective, one end of adash-board, with its attachment.

A A are legs, supporting the receptacle. The legs have at the lower endforks a a, connected at bottom by a cross-piece or sole-plate,

a, through which a screw may be passed to fasten the leg to the floor;or, when used out of doors, on the bare ground, a bar maybe passedthrough the forks and secured to the ground, to steady the machine. Therecepta cle consists of vertical sides B B, inwardly-inclined ends 0 O,and curved bottom D, (preferably of metal.) E E are open-topped bearingsfor the axis-lugsFof the osoillatin gframe. This frame is shown asconsisting of two parts-one, G, on which are the bearing-lugs F, and towhich is secured the actuating-lever, I, and the other part, H, securedto thatG by rivets g g in holes 9 g, which are made in vertical seriesin each part to allow the frame to be made longer or shorter in avertical direction, to suit different sizes of the machines. The frame(or part) H is made of skeleton or open work,

preferably of rectangular bars, as shown, to

allow the free passage of water. The bottom D is so formed that thelower side of the part.

H will be equidistant from it in all positions, being nearly in contactwith it at all times, so

as to prevent the clothes getting between the lower edge of the frameand the bottom D. K K are skeleton frames or partitions, made ofopen-work, to allow the free passage of water, but to detain theclothes. These frames K K are in planes radial to the axis ofoscillation of the frame G H, so that the oscillating frame and fixedframes will be parallel when in contact, and so that the mass of clotheswill be subjected to an equal pressure at all parts between the frames.At the corners of the machine are lugs l, which enter kerfs in the endsof the dash-boards L. These boards are in close contact with theinclined sides 0, and extend across the receptacle from one side, B, tothe other side, B. The dash-boards act to arrest the flow of water upthe inclined sides 0, and deflect it inward, to prevent its strikingagainst the lid.- M M are pins passing vertically through the ends ofthe dash-boards, and through the lugs Z, to hold the dash-boards inplace. The dash-boards are made removable, to enable the easy cleansingof the machine. The lid N fits closely on the top of the receptacle, andhas down-turned flanges n n, which take over the top and prevent the lidbeing thrown out of place. In the center of the lid is a slot, 0,through which the operating handle or lever I passes. Below the slot 0is a cap or collar, P, which is dropped over the lever and rests on thetop of the frame G H. Its office is to prevent the dashing of waterthrough the slot. R is a treadle-lever, which has a slot through whichthe lever I passes. The treadle-lever is fastened upon the lever I by awedge, S, driven into the slot through which the lever I passes. T T arefoot-treads. U U are handles.

The operation is as follows: The clothes may be placed in the receptacleon both sides of the frame G H, which (the frame) is then oscillated, soas to force the masses of clothes alternately against the fixed frames KK, upon each side. The water is violently pressed out of the clothes,and escapes upward between the frames, and to both sides through theframes. That escaping upward is directed inwardly, so as to fall uponthe loose mass of clothes upon the other side of the frame G H, andthe-water passing through the fixed frame K flows upward against theinwardly-inclined side 0, and is also directed upon the top of theclothes. The water in falling upon the top of the loose mass of clothesspreads them out horizontally, into a favorable condition to be acted onby the oscillating frame. The

dash-boards L L prevent the water passing up the sides C O to the lid.The collar 1? prevents the splashing of water through the slot 0. Theoscillating frame is worked by the lever I alone, or by said leverthrough the medium of the treadle-lever Rthe handles U U being used toaccomplish the greater part of the movement, and the foot being appliedto the lever to impart pressure at the end of the stroke.

WVhen it is desired to increase the pressure on the clothes between theoscillating and fixed frames, the weight-bar V is placed on the lever I,said bar having a central mortise or slot through which the leverpasses, as shown. This weight, by adding to the mo mentum of the lever,increases the pressure on the clothes.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination of the frame G H, lever I,and removable treadle-lever R, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the frame and lever G H, I, lid N having a slot,0, and the shield or collar P, substantially as set forth.

HARRISON DOOLITTLE.

Vitnesses SAML. KNIGHT, ROBERT BURNS.

